“One Adjustment Behind”- William Byron’s Crew Chief Lets Slip Costly Mistake That Robbed Championship Chance

What started out well ended up in disappointment for William Byron, who was chasing his first Cup Series title last week in Phoenix Raceway. The 25-year-old got the head-start, clinching the pole. The Hendrick Motorsports driver even won Stage 1 of the race until he lost the lead to the champion, Ryan Blaney in the later laps of Stage 2, despite being the fastest driver during the qualifying session. This led everyone to wonder what really went wrong.

Eventually, the Team Penske driver took over, edging out the HMS duo, finishing the race 2nd while the #5 and #24 drivers crossed the finish line 3rd and 4th. Reflecting on the Phoenix disappointment, Byron‘s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, opened up, revealing the one mistake that cost him the championship.

Fugle gets real about William Byron and the #24’s lost opportunity in Phoenix

The scene was grim for HMS fans last week. Rick Hendrick’s duo headed into the final showdown with high hopes. Kyle Larson was eyeing another title after his 2021 reign as the Cup Series champion, while William Byron was looking to enter into the elite club by winning a Cup Series championship.

However, fate had other plans as both the drivers struggled to find their rhythms, unable to hold the lead or get back to the front. For Byron who made it into the final 4 for the very first time, the scene was even more saddening. Despite starting out strong with a stellar qualifying run, Byron slowly started fading away in the later laps as the #12 Ford took the lead.

The #24 driver just couldn’t close the gap on Blaney as he finished the race as the last out of the 4 championship contenders. Reflecting on this, Rudy Fugle, #24’s crew chief, talking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio revealed his thoughts, saying, “We had all been fighting loose in, loose off. It was everyone’s main complaint and we were adjusting for that and making the car bet. Somewhere around lap 150 the track took enough shade in (turns) three and four and took enough rubber in the center of the corners that now the center being tight was our biggest problem.” 

He further added, “From there on out, we were one adjustment behind. We were making the correct adjustments from there on out the rest of the race, but we should have loosened up when we tightened up. We were just one step behind our competitors on where we needed to be and couldn’t get caught back up.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: William Byron’s crew chief acknowledges Ryan Blaney’s strong practice performance 

“Getting better every time..” – Fugle relays the positive side of Byron’s 2023 campaign

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Practice makes a man perfect. Now, that’s one quote that resounds pretty well with Byron. From being an aspiring race car driver to dreaming and visualizing being the next big thing in NASCAR, Byron made it big in Stock Car Racing after he won the Truck Series and Xfinity Series championships.

Then came the big move to HMS, being at the helm of the #24 car, which was at one point driven by the great Jeff Gordon. The driver slowly yet steadily climbed the ranks until he got his breakout season in 2023, racking up 6 wins along with 4 poles. On the same episode, Fugle said, “It’s a tough end of the year just not having enough, but having a really good car and a pretty solid day and just not having enough to win. It hurts to not put a stamp with a ring or a big trophy at the end.”

Though the veteran crew chief isn’t very happy about the season finish, he mentioned the other side of the coin. He said, “Our team keeps growing, you know, climbing up the hill and getting better every time so all those things make me proud and make me hungry to go again.”

READ MORE: Rick Hendrick’s Xfinity Pupil Thanks HMS Boss Amidst His Short Film’s New York Screening